The University of New Hampshire’s Whittemore Center Arena is turning over a new leaf when it comes to live entertainment. The venue, usually reserved for UNH hockey games, has a history of opening its doors a few times a year for concerts put on by the Student Committee on Popular Entertainment. Now, the arena is also hosting several shows put on by outside promoters, including upcoming performances by DJ David Guetta and The Avett Brothers.

“I think that it’s very unusual that the Whitt hasn’t had more shows that would appeal to the college crowd in the past,” said SCOPE publicity director Jason Marcil. “SCOPE has been the only promoter of those kinds of shows in the Durham area ever since Global Spectrum stopped managing the Whitt (in 2007).”

Marcil said working with independent contractors will give students the opportunity to attend more concerts at the Whitt without depending solely on SCOPE to bring in big-name acts. The organization has a limited budget that only permits them to bring four acts to campus each year.

“SCOPE’s goal is just to get people to see more live music,” Marcil said. “I think that outside promoters coming to campus is going to have a dramatic impact on the concert scene in the Seacoast area, but in a good way… In my mind, a concert is a concert and it’s great that more are coming to UNH.”

The addition of more concerts to the Whittemore Center’s events calendar could have a positive impact on the local music scene. It’s the largest concert venue on the Seacoast, with a capacity of 5,500 people. That’s more than double the capacity of other large venues in the area like the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, which holds up to 2,200 people, and the Music Hall, which holds about 900.

Carrie Barron, events coordinator at the Whittemore Center, said the arena worked with both SCOPE and outside promoter NV Concepts to bring Swedish DJ Avicii to UNH last November. Marcil said the show was one of the smoothest SCOPE has ever put on at the Whitt, due to increased security measures and new ticketing regulations. Although 34 people were arrested at the Avicii show, only 14 of them were UNH students, and Marcil said it was less chaotic than previous SCOPE events. A performance by Wiz Kahlifa at the Whitt last April resulted in 48 arrests.

On Wednesday, Feb. 8, the Whitt is once again collaborating with NV Concepts to bring world-renowned DJ David Guetta to Durham. On Tuesday, April 17, The Avett Brothers will take over the arena in collaboration with Kirschner Concerts and Step Up. SCOPE is not associated with either of these shows, though Marcil said the organization has offered its services in the event that volunteers are needed.

Barron said the Whittemore Center has been working to build contacts in the entertainment industry ever since UNH resumed management of the arena in 2007. Both Barron and Erika Mantz, director of UNH media relations, said the arena strives to hold an array of events each year, and concerts are just starting to make it onto the agenda.

“The students here at UNH really set the tone for the types of music we will look to book moving forward,” Barron said. “We want to bring in concerts and events that both the students and the Seacoast communities will enjoy. The concerts will add a great thing to do here in Durham for the college students and, moving forward, we hope to hold several concerts each year.”

Tickets for David Guetta are on sale now at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets range from $30 to $65. Tickets for The Avett Brothers go on sale Friday, Feb. 10 at 10 a.m. at the Whittemore Center box office and at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets range from $28 to $38. For more information, visit www.whittcenter.com.